Home Health & Hospice Week

Providers have at least another year before they have to start worrying too hard about affiliated providers potentially tanking their Medicare enrollment, causing revocations and payment suspensions.

Phew! “In light of the pandemic and various other factors, we will not begin updating the Form CMS-855 applications with affiliation disclosure sections for at least another 12 months,” the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says in MLN Matters Article SE21003 issued March 24.

CMS issued a final rule on the requirement in fall 2019 and was poised to implement it last year, before COVID-19 scuttled it (see HCW by AAPC, Vol. XXIX, No. 9). Once implemented, the affiliation disclosures may wreak havoc on unsuspecting, innocent home care and hospice providers, experts warn.